A Different Perspective: Rhea
by AvionVadion
Summary: Ever since her Dad died Rhea had been living by herself, having been abandoned by her friend and her grandmother. She worked a busy life trying to meet payment and bills, but things only grew more difficult when a basket full of animals showed up on her bedside randomly one morning. Not entirely sure what to do, she kept them. But then the animals turned into humans...? JihaexOC.
1. Unexpected Guests

It was interesting to say the least. My alarm clock had went off at three in the afternoon, and in response I groaned and smacked my hand around in an attempt to turn it off. I moved to where I was laying on my front when I failed to find it and groggily looked for the off-switch. After a moment I finally found and hit the "off" button, quickly slumping back into my mattress with a groan, and stretched out as I yawned loudly before flopping back down and rolling onto my back.

I lazily pulled myself up, sliding my legs over the edge of my bed, only to pause and just stare at what was in front of me. I blinked a couple times before brushing my bangs back with my hand and holding them there at the top of my head to make sure I was seeing clearly.

Moments like these I was glad I was near-sighted, but at the same time I still didn't believe what I was looking at. I let my hair fall back down in my face and instead just rubbed at my eyes, making sure I got the crusties out, and leaned forward, blinking. "Why is it, that the one day I _don't_ decide to wake up by falling out of my bed, that there's a basket full of animals?" Maybe I'm still sleeping and this is just a dream. I wouldn't put anything past it; I've had plenty of weird dreams before. I got up and walked forward before kneeling down, picking up the first animal that caught my attention; a spotted rabbit with green eyes. I stared at him, the very life I could see in his eyes informing me of his being along with the twitching of his muzzle and ears. His fur felt pretty real as well.

I set him back down in the basket before reaching over to poke the orange tabby cat on the forehead. He blinked at me with his violet eyes. Odd... I don't remember cat's being able to have purple, but then-what do I know? I looked around, mentally counting them all as panic started to well up in my stomach, and just as I was about to burst into frustrated tears my eyes met those of an brilliant blue. The rabbit was beautiful... long silver fur covered his big body, neatly brushed, and his bright blue eyes stood out among it all. "Dude... you're gorgeous." The rabbit blinked at me in surprise and it took all I had to pull my gaze away. I shook my head, dazed, and blinked a few times. "Okay, calm down." I pressed a hand against my forehead, trying to steady my breathing as I started to panic again. "It's... it's five animals. Don't know why the cats haven't ate the rabbits yet, but that's good, that's good-they're good cats." They're behaved and I won't be finding any corpses any time soon. Awesome.

But oh my god what am I going to do? I can't take care of five animals; I barely have enough money to feed myself! I don't even _have_ money to feed myself! The hell am I supposed to do!?

"Oh, god, no..." This is not okay. Very much not okay. "Why is this happening; let this be a dream. Please let this be a dream." I covered my face with my hands, and then peeked through my fingers. _Nope._ They're still there. Pretty silver rabbit had a tiny albino one cuddling up to him, and the spotted rabbit seemed to be trying to keep as much distance between him and the other animals as much as possible despite how cramped it was. Laying on his back was a black cat with amber eyes, and beside him dangling out of the basket was a small orange tabby. "I don't have money to take care of animals!" I felt like crying. Why was this happening? No- _how_ was this happening? Did someone break in? Did Grandma drop by while I was sleeping?

But that doesn't make sense. She hates animals. I wasn't even allowed to have a goldfish when I was little!

"You're not real! You're not real, you're not real, you're not real, you're not real!" Tears-nope, nope, I'm not crying. I refuse. "Oh god, oh god, oh god; no! Okay-um, oh god, I don't know what to do." What am I supposed to do? Call the police? Tell them what-Santa dropped by and left me a present? The animal thief decided to do something different for a change? They'll send me to the loony bin, and like hell I'm calling a pound. If they don't get adopted they'll be killed! But that just means that I have to take care of them regardless and I don't have the money to do that! Oh god... do I even _have_ food downstairs? "I got cabbage. I think I got cabbage. And tuna. Wait, can cats eat tuna?" I was muttering to myself, eyes darting around the room as I stood. "Cats eat fish; tuna's fish." And it's not like I have internet; I can't google anything. "Okay; I have cabbage and I have tuna and I need to get ready for work and oh my god, this is not how I'm supposed to start my morning!"

Next time, _roll off the bed like you usually do._ Otherwise you get random animals in your bedroom!

"Don't move!" I ordered, pointing at the basket full of animals, and seeing their blank looks I just waved my finger at them for a moment as I struggled for something to say before pointing at a certain one. "Silver Rabbit's in charge! I'll be back! To carry you to the kitchen. Or... bring food here. But I'll probably carry to the kitchen so don't move! And don't cause the silver rabbit any problems! Got it? G-Good!" With that I slammed my door shut, making sure that they wouldn't be able to leave the room, and quickly made my way through the livingroom to get to the kitchen. The empty house echoed with my frantic footsteps as I ran, simply reminding me of the extra two bedrooms that were completely vacant.

One had been, or what I like to imagine was, for my dad and the other... was for my best friend. Grandma gave me this house after Dad's death and for a graduation "present". That's what she calls it, but I know she just wanted me out of her house. She hated looking at me after her son's death.

Now, as for my best friend who was supposed to be living with me... she got a boyfriend. And moved to France. So now I'm alone.

It was a pain, and I had to shut off the cable and internet because of money trouble, but Grandma still calls so I try to keep the house phone going. It was one of those old-fashioned ones with the chord, and I found it too cute to bother trying to replace.

But yeah-a two-story house with only one person? It takes a toll on a you. That's how I got started talking to myself in the first place; the sound fills up the silence.

I eventually arrived to the kitchen and rummaged through the fridge, utterly and completely frantic to find food for the poor animals. Who knows how long they've been sitting there, waiting for me to wake up? They're probably starving and I... oh man... Why didn't I wake up sooner!?

It took a minute, but I finally found the cabbage in my practically empty fridge, and I found the tuna residing in my dust-gathering cabinets. I made a face, but placed the cabbage on the floor and tore a few leaves off of it and letting it surround it, and then poured the canned tuna on a paper plate. I then got out two clean containers and filled them with water, setting them near the food. And, just to be on the safe side, I moved over to the livingroom and rummaged through a few drawers and cabinets for some newspapers. After grabbing those I laid them out on the kitchen floor near the food.

I nodded my head, hands on my hips, and approved my handiwork. _I'll have to go shopping for actual food after work today but-OH SHIT I NEED TO GET READY!_ I practically leaped five feet in the air and almost slammed into a wall once or twice on the way to my bedroom. I opened the door, practically shouting, "Food's in the kitchen; use your noses; I'm going to be late for my job!"

And, in my rush, my foot hooked over my ankle and I was sent toppling over, face-planting into the floor with a high pitch scream.

"...Oww..."

That really hurt... I groaned and removed my face from the floor, spitting out some hair that got in my mouth, and blinked when I saw that the animals were staring at me.

"What!? You'd be in a hurry too if you were late for work!" I don't want to be yelled at. I _hate_ being yelled at; it always made me feel useless and pathetic. I pushed myself up and rummaged through the drawers for undergarments and decent clothes to paint in.

I grabbed a a stained black plaid shirt and a pair of worn jeans. I dashed to the bathroom to get ready, and when I was done-now fully dressed with contacts in and my dark auburn hair up in a sloppy pony, I walked out and found, to my surprise, that the animals _weren't_ in the basket. Did... "Did they actually understand what I said?" I turned my head to look at the open door, which I suspected they left from. I made my way to the kitchen slowly after grabbing a pair of socks and saw them all eating. "Huh." _Then again, they probably could smell it and followed it anyway._

I felt a hole in my chest as I stared at them, tired and guilty and ashamed.

They'd get nothing out of having me as an owner; I can't provide for them at all. I'm a mess. How am I supposed to pay bills if I can't even grocery shop? I mean, I ride a _bike_ everywhere I go! I can't actually drive and I definitely don't own a car, and if I did then it probably would have gotten towed or something because I wouldn't have been able to make that car payment along with everything else. I'm just barely scraping along with paying my electricity and water bills, and it takes all I have to make sure I can keep my phone going. There's no _way_ I'll be able to take care of them. And I doubt after what happened I should even be _allowed_ to care for a life, nonetheless _five_ lives...

"Mrrow?"

I jolted and looked down when I felt something brush against my leg. It was the orange cat. And upon feeling something cold on my face I realized I was crying and quickly wiped the tears away, sniffling, and knelt down with a smile. "What is it, little guy?" Or is he a she? I leaned over to get a look and saw that the cat was clearly male. "You not like the tuna or something?" He meowed again and brushed his head against my hand. I stared blankly for a moment before figuring out what it was he wanted. "Oh! Sorry. I'm not good with animals." I reached a hand out and started to pet him, and after the black cat finished eating what was left of the tuna he licked his lips and made his way over. "And, uh, sorry for yelling. I'm just... stressed out, you know?"

They probably didn't, but black cat's eyes seemed to flash with understanding. He licked my other hand, and it took all I had not to pull my hand away and wipe the spot he licked on my jeans. They were cute, but... saliva was definitely a no-go. "Meow."

"...You realize I don't speak cat, right? Or rabbit?" I sent a glance towards the three who were eating the cabbage. Silver rabbit looked like he was finished eating and was now just waiting on the albino, and spotted rabbit appeared to be eating all the cabbage he could. It's safe to say I know _that one's_ favorite veggie. I looked back down at the cats, whom I was petting at the same time. "If I get enough tips from my second job I'll go buy you guys some actually animal food, alright?" Just how expensive is cat food anyway? And rabbits eat vegetables, so it should be fine to just get them cabbage and carrots... right? I haven't the slightest clue. Maybe I'll ask Nicole or Jason later.

With that thought I sat down and pulled my socks on before standing and making my way to the front door in the livingroom where my shoes were.

"I'm going out; the pretty rabbit-" I paused, realizing they probably didn't know who I was talking about, "The pretty silver rabbit is in charge," I corrected. I'm fairly certain they all understand me, and even if they don't I'm just going to talk to them anyway. It was nice to have the company. _Really_ freaking nice; in the short half hour I've seen of them I was loving having another living being in the house, but at the same time I hated it because they'll probably starve along with me. "If he, or uh, she-okay, I'm just calling you all "he's" until I find out your actual genders! If he tells me you all were a pain in the butt then I'm comin' after ya! Got it?" I pointed a finger at them as I used the rest of my fingers to pull on one of my brown, paint stained gloves. "Behave. And the newspaper on the floor is if you need to use the bathroom; if you even _think_ about going on the carpet then so help me I'll shave all the fur off of your body. And I'll do it with a normal razor, too, since I don't have the cash to buy one of those fancy electric ones. Deal? Deal." I grabbed my jacket that was hanging off the doorknob and put it on, pulling the keys out of my pocket as I unlocked the door and opened it. "I'll be back sometime in the morning, so don't wait for me." I closed the door behind me, locked it, and shoved my keys into my pocket with a sigh.

Let's just hope they don't destroy my house while I'm gone...

I walked on the porch, as it was connected to the front of the house, and walked down the steps before running to the side where my bike was parked. I grabbed it, got on, cast one more glance at the two story house with a deck, before looking ahead of me and pedaling.

Jason was the first to greet me when I arrived. I parked by the alley near the candy shop and got off, and was more than grateful when Jason welcomed me to the set with a cup of warm coffee. "You are amazing," I breathed and chugged, badly needing this to last me the day. "I didn't have time to make coffee this morning."

The blonde looked surprised at my words before asking, "Why? Did you wake sleep through your alarm?"

"Not really; I just..." Would it be alright to tell him? I don't know. "I just had a nightmare. Don't remember it, but I recall waking up and thinking it was really weird." Yeah; waking up to five animals at the foot of my bed. "What about you? How was your night?" I paused in my devouring the coffee to talk to him. Jason was pretty tall compared to me, the male being five foot nine whereas I stood at a measly five two. He had pale blonde hair that he had cut short and spiked up just the slightest, and his eyes were a stormy blue.

"Same as normal; stayed up late, went to bed with only three hours left." I scowled at him, opening my mouth to rant about how that wasn't good for his health, but he quickly held a hand up to inform, "Relax, Rhea; I was joking. I went to bed with _five_ hours left." I just gave him a look. Jason chuckled at me, ruffled my already messy hair, and told me, "Besides, it's alright if one of doesn't show up. We got fifteen others. Richard isn't going to care if two or three of us are missing."

"Yeah, yeah," I muttered, before taking another sip of my coffee. "I seriously appreciate the coffee though."

"No problem. Not like I drink it." True. Jason _hated_ coffee and the very smell, but he was still nice enough to get some for me. Guess that's what happens when you're friends for over... thirteen years? Maybe fifteen? I'm not sure. We became friends sometime during elementary school through another person, but that person moved to another school and we haven't seen him since. Probably won't, either. But that's okay; I don't miss him that much as I used to.

I quickly chugged the rest of my coffee, dumped the plastic cup in the trash near the bike stands, and slapped Jason playfully on the shoulder. "Alright, let's get going, blondie. We got a _long_ day ahead of us." At least I do. "Oh, and by the way... out of curiosity, rabbits can actually eat cabbage and carrots, right?"

"Yeeeeaaah," he replied, speaking in a tone that implied he thought I was dumb. I scowled and resisted the urge to smack him.

"Jerk."

"You love me."

"I wonder."

* * *

My day was mixture of ups-and-downs, though it mostly just proceeded to get worse. I almost passed out once or twice, and when another crew member bumped into me I ended up knocking over some white paint and completely soaking myself as I crashed onto the ground and into the giant white puddle that had gathered. Most of the people were annoyed, but they weren't too terribly angry since I was the only one covered in paint, and Richard was just irritable because he had to send someone to get some more white paint.

I was still allowed to paint after that, and I did a pretty decent job, but the second I stopped moving the paintbrush it was like I was disaster waiting to happen.

Nobody had extra clothes to lend me, so I was stuck wearing icky wet clothes all the way to my next job once I was done helping with my part of the mural. I biked it as fast as I could so I would be able to have extra time to wash up in the bathroom and get most of the paint off of my face. I made it with thirty minutes to spare and quickly parked, ran in, and made my way to the back where I could wash up and get changed into my uniform.

Nolan was an old-fashioned boss, and being in his fifties he quite liked seeing young women in skirts, so I, unfortunately, had to wear a skirt with my job. Thankfully it went down to mid-thigh, the uniform consisting of a white blouse and a black pencil skirt and, depending on your preference, heels or flats. I wore the flats and once I finished up buttoning my blouse in the locker room I headed to the bathroom to rid myself of the white paint staining my face and hair. Paper towels aren't exactly the best thing to use to dry your hair, but it would have to do. I got out most of the paint, but a little still remained so I hoped and prayed no one would notice.

Other than that you would have never guessed I went swimming with a paint puddle. Brilliant, right? Yeah, I thought so too. Not.

I did pretty well, acting extra cheerful and friendly to the customers, and got pretty good tips. This nice old lady noticed the paint in my hair, so I explained to her how it happened, and telling me that she hoped I would have a better day tomorrow she gave me a ten. She was a _really_ generous and nice lady. I actually spoke to her about how I woke up and found a bunch of animals in my room, and what they looked like, and how they were the reason I was late for one of my other jobs, and that I was actually considering keeping them despite my lack of money. I repeat; she was a _really_ nice old lady. She gave me a twenty after that and told me that I should bring some pictures of them next time-of which I told her when I'd be coming back to work here and the time-and I promised I'd show her the pictures.

I left that job around ten pm, more tired than ever, but happy as I had a good forty-five dollars in tips. Whoo! I was tired, but I managed to bike it to my next job, which was hilarious as it was where I was going to be doing some shopping once I got done. Bright side, I get a discount since I work there. Yeah! Employee perks!

I was left working until four am, so I sluggishly made my way over to the food aisles after closing my lane. Closing up was easy, but trying to stay awake long enough to make sure I got the right food for the animals and pay for it was the rough part. Somehow, through sheer willpower, I managed to finish it and went outside, shoving the grocery bags into the basket of my bike and rode.

I lived pretty far away, sadly, so I got home around five thirty. I walked up the steps of the porch and unlocked the door, letting the bags hang on my left arm, and opened it. I closed it behind me and leaned against it as I pulled my shoes off using my toes, and then dragged myself over to the kitchen. As I turned on the lights and walked, the animals sleeping around the living room began to wake up and stared at me in surprise before quickly running after me.

I guess they were really hungry. I know I am... but I didn't get anything for me, so I'm going hungry again tonight. Or, well, today.

"I got cabbage and cat food and-" I yawned loudly, dumping the bags on the kitchen floor as I knelt down to open them. "Carrots." I pulled out the wet food and dried food for the cats to see, and set a carrot and some cabbage on the floor for the rabbits to eat. I put the rest of the vegetables in the fridge and tiredly asked the cats, "Which one do you want?"

They sniffed the bags before recoiling in disgust. The rabbits were already eating their food though.

"What's wrong with it? It's cat food!" Ugh, fine. "Tuna then. Jeez." I'm so tired... my eyes are watering. I don't want to deal with moody cats right now. My day is bad enough as is. I opened another can of tuna and dumped it on the plate, the cats dashing forward to eat it eagerly. I then slumped, leaning against the fridge, before falling over and laying on my side on the floor. I used my right arm as a pillow, curling up into a ball as I closed my eyes. I found myself falling asleep within mere seconds.

* * *

"What's wrong with her?" The orange cat asked in confusion, watching as she just collapsed on the floor. "Did she hit her head on the fridge or something?"

"No, you stupid cat," The spotted rabbit growled, glaring, "She fell asleep! Anyone could see the bags under her eyes and know she's fatigued!"

The black cat rolled his eyes at their behavior, annoyed, and said, "Just shut up and eat your food; let the woman sleep." Sure he was a little irked that she tried to feed him that "cat food" that smelled more like rabbit turds than actually _sustenance_ , but she was trying. She didn't ask for them to appear in her life after all. He could give her a little break. "She's been gone almost an entire day- _working_. Just leave her alone. If you keep screaming, then she's gonna wake up."

"Well, shouldn't we at least wake her up so she can move to the couch or her bed?" The orange cat suggested.

"Eddie..." The albino rabbit whispered softly. "I don't think she's feeling well..."

"I agree, Young Master," The silver rabbit responded calmly, his blue eyes flickering over to their "owner's" sleeping form. "But I'm certain that she takes care of herself; we just can't see it." After all, no one is foolish enough to let themselves go without eating or getting a proper rest, right? "Being gone so long, she must have eaten at some time."

"...I suppose..." He didn't look convinced, but seemed willing to listen to the silver rabbit anyway. It sounded almost like he was trying to convince himself that was the case rather than him or anyone else.

"Hey, foodgiver! Wake up and go to bed!" The silver rabbit turned his head to watch in shock as the black cat rudely pressed his face against the woman's face to wake her. "You can't sleep on the floor!"

She groaned in response and groggily opened her eyes, her dark green orbs flickering around the room blearily as she tried to make sense of where she was.

* * *

I woke up to a man screaming. But when I opened my eyes all that was in front of me were the animals, all looking concerned. I rubbed my head, sitting up, and groaned. "I passed out, didn't I?" Jeez. Just my luck. "I'm sorry. I'll just..." I stood and wobbled, dizzy, and quickly leaned onto the fridge for balance. I felt sick. "Oh, wow. Okay." I waited for the world to stop spinning. "I'm... blaming the paint..."

I nearly tripped right there as I walked around the animals to get to my bedroom. I walked through the livingroom and to the hallway, bluntly ignoring the stairs, and opened the door. I barely had enough energy left to put my pajamas on-a plain T-Shirt and shorts-and take out my contacts and brush my teeth. I made my way over to my bed and collapsed on it, sinking into the mattress almost like melted chocolate on a marshmallow, and I was on the verge of falling back asleep when I felt the bed shift.

I squinted and through the darkness I could see a pair of blue eyes staring at me with concern. I don't really mind if the animals sit on my bed, but... "Ya here to be my cuddle buddy or somethin'?" I spoke sluggishly, too tired to try and speak clearly, but the silver rabbit seemed to understand what I was saying. "Because I'm warnin' ya... I'm a blanket hog." I then shifted, turning on my side so I was facing him, and closed my eyes. I patted the spot near my chest, not really expecting him to accept my offer, so when I curled my hands up to my chest I was more than a little surprised when I felt the bed shift as the rabbit hopped, his long soft fur tickling my arms as he laid next to me. "Night..."

The rabbit made no noise, though I was fully aware of it's stare despite having my eyes closed. After a moment I opened them and reached a hand over, gently stroking his fur with my fingers. I stared at him, the two of us just looking at each in the eyes, and after a moment I apologized. "I'm sorry." His eyes showed confusion. "You're... stuck with me instead of someone else. I'm not... I'm not going to be able to provide for you and friends very well a-and..." I could feel frustrated and ashamed tears start to well up in my eyes. I choked. "-and I'm s-so sorry. I'd... I'd give you away to people who can actually provide for you, but I-I don't really know that many people who I can trust a-and... and if I send you all to the pound you'll get put to sleep if you don't get adopted. And..." At the same time, I selfishly wanted to keep you here so I wouldn't be alone.

I stopped petting him to wipe at my face to get rid of the tears. I sniffled.

"And I... I don't know what to do." I took a shaky breath, wishing there was something I could do to actually help these poor animals. "I never even had a pet before either, so... I'm sorry... that you got stuck with such a pathetic owner." Forgive me. "I hope you and the other animals aren't mad." It's been so _long_ since I had company or someone to talk to like this. My grandma doesn't like me and Nicole and Jason are really the only people I can trust ever since Dad's accident and Samantha's moving away. _She doesn't even try to contact me,_ I thought gloomily, thinking of all the letters I sent her way and how I never got a response. Samantha had completely forgotten about me. I don't even know what I did wrong...

A cold, wet nose pressing against my cheek snapped me out of my thoughts and I blinked, looking at the silver rabbit in surprise. Was... Was he trying to comfort me or something? The rabbit's ears then twitched, one remaining forward and the other turning and leaning backwards as if to listen to something. It twitched a few times before it moved forward again, the bed shifting as the white rabbit hopped onto it. Silver rabbit pulled his nose away and moved to where he was underneath my chin, curling into a ball against my chest with the white rabbit curling up to his side.

I resisted the urge to laugh at the cuteness of the two of them and instead smiled softly, closing my eyes. His long fur tickled my skin, but I didn't mind. I actually welcomed it. "Good night, you two." I bet if they could actually speak human rather than just understand it, one of them would have commented on how it was morning.

I slept pretty darn good and the only reason why I even bothered waking up later that day was because albino bunny kept nudging me with his head to wake me up. I groaned, not wanting to move and get up as I was comfy, but after a minute I groggily opened my eyes and stared into the crimson of the white rabbit's. "Wha...? Wait..." I pushed myself up, ignoring his and silver rabbit's stare, and looked at my clock that resided on my nightstand. My eyes widened and I shot up out of the bed-only to get tangled in the blankets and crash onto the floor. "Ow..."

The animals looked slightly concerned when I didn't get up right away, but the second I started to get up after kicking off the blankets they realized that I was alright.

"I can't believe it's that late! I need to feed you guys!" I quickly picked up silver rabbit and cast a glance at white rabbit, and I became at a loss how to hold them both. Oh, wait! I quickly set silver rabbit down, confusing him, and picked up the white rabbit to set him on my shoulder. I then picked up the silver rabbit again, holding him against my chest. "There! It works." Though two rabbits are kinda heavy... but that's okay! It's a work in progress. I slowly made my way out of the room as I didn't want to drop albino bunny, and said, "I hope you guys are okay with eating only cabbage and carrots right now; I don't get my paycheck until Wednesday and I don't start work again until Monday, so I won't be able to buy you guys anything else until then. I also don't really know what all rabbits can eat, so... there's that, too. I also need to return the cat food... Picky felines." I scowled, walking down the hallway to get to the kitchen. "They have no idea how expensive that stuff is and they won't even eat it! It's cat food. For _cats_. But I guess I can't really complain; I'm not the one eating it. I know rabbits can eat veggies though..." I paused, just a few feet away from the kitchen, and looked at the albino bunny on my shoulder. "Can rabbits eat apples?" I shook my head, making my way into the kitchen and kneeling down and carefully setting the rabbits on the ground. "I dunno; I'll ask Jason later. He knows these things."

I quickly got to pulling out some more cabbage. I tore off a few leaves, handing them to the rabbits and trying to ignore the smell of the food as my stomach twisted sickly. Once I finished giving them their food I pulled out a bag of bread for me and took out a single loaf, throwing the rest back in the fridge. Silver rabbit stared at me questioningly, almost as if to ask "That's all you're eating"?

The odd characteristics he's shown of understanding human tongue and behavior was making me wonder if this was like _Flowers for Algernon_ and instead of it being the albino rabbit, though in the original story it was a mouse, it was the silver rabbit. He seemed far more intelligent than I think rabbits should be. Of course, I don't know much about animals so it's probably completely normal, but... it almost felt like I was talking to another person. A mute person, but still a person.

"What?" I asked, feeling oddly defensive of my bad eating habits. "I'm _broke_! I don't have money; I told you this." Twice, or maybe three times now. "I have three jobs: one pays nothing, another gives awesome tips, and the last isn't that good of a wage. And I spent the forty bucks of tips on your food yesterday after work. I'm not exactly made of money, honey." I took another bite of my bread, silently berating myself in my head for being so irritable about being broke and taking it out on the innocent rabbit. I swallowed and sighed. "I'm sorry... I-I shouldn't have snapped like that. Life just... Life just really sucks right now, you know?"

He lowered his head, seeming to think deeply about my words, before nibbling on some of the cabbage. I stared at the two rabbits, thinking of what I should call them. I knew from when I picked them up earlier that they were both male, and I know the black cat definitely was. "Pretty Boy. Pretty Boy and... Peter. Yeah." I smiled, like that. "You're Pretty Boy," I pointed at the silver rabbit and then at the albino bunny, "and you're Peter, for Peter White. He's the White Rabbit and has red eyes, so it fits you perfectly. Although I don't think you go kidnapping innocent young girls and bringing them into a different world simply because you're in love with them. But he's cool. I might name the black cat Sirius..." I hummed to myself, ignoring Peter's blank stare. Pretty Boy didn't seem to know how to react. Instead he just blinked, bringing his ears forward, and knelt down to finish nibbling his leaf.

Before long the two rabbits were done eating and hopped over. I moved over so I was leaning against the cabinets next to the fridge and picked Pretty Boy up and set him in my lap. Peter climbed up onto my thigh and laid down, closing his eyes and going to sleep as I pet him and his friend. _Well, with the way they act I think Pretty Boy might be his dad or something. Maybe a brother?_ Aw, that is so sweet. It's already very clear that the two of them are very close.

"You two are adorable." Peter's ears twitched at that. Suddenly his ears moved forward, turning to the direction of the livingroom, and I followed his gaze to see what he was hearing only to watch as the cats and the spotted rabbit made their way into the kitchen. I opened the fridge upon seeing them, turning only my torso so I could see what it was I was doing without really getting up, and opened the drawer the cabbage and the small almost empty pack of honey ham was in. I ripped off quite a few leaves for the spotted rabbit and tossed them to him, and then did the same for the cats. Out of ham I closed the drawer and the fridge, wiping my hands on my jeans as they were wet from the ham juice. "I have three cans of tuna left, so that's enough for your guys' dinner tonight, and breakfast and dinner tomorrow." Black cat, ham hanging halfway out of his mouth as he chewed on it, lifted his head to look at me with his big golden eyes. "I'll return the cat food tomorrow since you guys obviously don't like it, so I should get some money back, and I'll get you some more ham and tuna. That okay?"

Black cat finished eating his slice of ham and licked his lips, before wagging his tail and moving forward. He brushed his side against my left knee and rubbed his head against the thigh the white rabbit was not on.

"I'll take that as a yes," I said and stopped petting Pretty Boy to pet him. "Oh, I'm also going to call you Sirius from now on. Okay?"

"Meow." ...Why on earth did it sound like it was just a human trying to mimic a cat? Oh, whatever. Pretty Boy's intelligence is making me question everything. " _Mrrooow."_ Okay, that one sounded more feline. I'm not going crazy after all.

Orange cat then meowed and I turned to look at him, only to flinch when he suddenly jumped up on my thigh and made his home there.

"...I'm gonna call you Kyo." Orange cat was a boy as well. All the animals appeared to be male. On the bright side, that means I don't have to deal with baby bunnies or kittens. _I'm this close to calling him Firestar though._ But I won't. "So that's Pretty Boy, Peter, Sirius, Kyo, and..." I looked at the spotted rabbit, who was narrowing his green eyes at me. _Emerald and Jade don't really work... Oliver? No. Cow bunny is too mean. How about..._ "Momo!" The offended look on his face nearly made me bust out laughing, and I swore that Sirius had choked on his own saliva. Spotted rabbit glared at him. "Hey, come on! Momo is a highly intelligent flying lemur and has ninja skills beyond comprehension! You should be honored to be named after him!"

I feel like Sirius and Kyo were laughing... I'm not sure though. Can animals laugh?

Momo continued glaring at the cats, but seemed _slightly_ less offended after my explanation. He was still irritable, but at least seemed to accept the title. "Awesome. Okay, well... seeing as I have the day off you're all stuck with me, which is probably awful for you, but oh well." Spotted rabbit, having just finished eating his leaves, lifted his head up and gave me a questioning look. He was probably wondering why I said what I did about it being awful, but I didn't give an explanation. Instead I picked the animals off of me and set them back down on the ground, standing, threw the empty ham pack away, and made my way to the livingroom-but only stopping to pet Momo who then promptly ran to hide in a corner by the stove.

I put in a movie, deciding to have _Howl's Moving Castle_ as background noise and to entertain the animals, and then went to grab clothes to change into as I was going to take a shower.

I still had paint in my hair after all and I probably smelled like sweat. Having the hot water pelt down on me like it was felt amazing and I was more than just a little happy to get clean. Once I was done and dried off I threw on a black v-neck shirt, the sleeves pushed half way up my forearms, and a pair of black capri yoga pants with a blue waistband. I brushed my hair, put it up in a sloppy pony-tail with my bangs hanging in my face, and put my contacts back in. I looked pretty bad due to the lack of nutrients; my cheeks were starting to sink in and I was much paler than I should be, and due to my lack of sleep there were bags underneath my eyes. I was also much skinnier than I should be... I was five two but I weighed one fifteen. When I first started moved in to the house I was around one thirty. This seriously isn't good...

I was always pretty petite, but this is just going out of bounds. I... almost look _fragile_. Like I'll break any moment. Maybe I should put in some extra hours at one of my jobs so I'll actually have money for real groceries... But if I do that I won't get any sleep at all! Ugh. And I don't want to quit any of them... the mural painting was volunteer work, but I enjoyed doing it so much, and the waitress job gave me pretty good tips... I barely get five hundred per paycheck at the store, but I need that money and I don't want to have to schedule around everything to train for a different job if I quit that one.

I groaned as I made my way out of the bathroom, feeling drained just by thinking about my predicament. I dragged myself to my bedroom to grab my notebooks and pencil bag and then made my way to the livingroom, plopping down on the couch and pulling out a few drawings I had ripped out and setting them on the coffee table in front of me, separating them by fandom, and flipped to a blank page.

I had just gotten halfway through of drawing Sebastian from _Black Butler_ when I realized there was a pair of eyes watching. I looked around, only to find Pretty Boy sitting on the armrest of the couch and staring at the drawing I had on my lap. Without thinking about it I put the pencil down and reached up, petting him lightly. He jumped a little, having been focusing so intently on the drawing that he didn't pay any attention to me, before relaxing and leaning in to the touch. "I'm surprised you're not with Peter," I told him. He stared at me. "You're always with him, so I was beginning to think it was impossible to see you two not in a room together." I chuckled. I could feel my stress fading away as I spoke to him, his presence welcoming and distracting. "I think it's cute that you're always taking care of him." I pet him for a few more seconds before returning to drawing, soon adding in an amused Ciel as Sebastian gestured frantically for them to get away as in the background there was a tiny Grell running and waving at him. Pretty Boy watched me draw intently, and unlike with people I felt comfortable being watched by him.

After a while I closed my notebook, putting all my drawings back in, and put it back in the place I had grabbed it. I then went to my room, walking over to the desk where my laptop resided, turned it on, and waited to be called on Ringo. Ten minutes passed and then the familiar ringing sounded and I quickly accepted the call.

 _"Hey."_

"Hey, Jason." I greeted in response. "'Sup?" The male on the screen shrugged in response.

 _"You know... same ol', same ol'. How's life?"_

The conversation started out awkward at first, just like it always did, before we could start talking more easily. "Hey, you, uh, remember what I said yesterday? About... About what rabbits like to eat?" Jason raised an eyebrow.

 _"Yeah? What of it? You didn't buy a rabbit, did you?"_

"Well, no... I didn't... _buy_ one." I hesitated, but out of the corner of my eye I could see Peter staring at me from his spot on the window sill. "I found three. And two cats," I added as an afterthought.

 _"Oh my god-where do you find FIVE animals?"_ He didn't look like he completely believed me, but at the same time he knew I wasn't one to lie about these things. _"Where are they?"_

"In the livingroom, I think. One's actually sitting on my window sill right now," I pointed in the direction, but was too lazy to turn the computer so he could see him. "But I found them. In a basket. At the foot of my bed. I just woke up and they were there." I was pretty blunt with my explanation, not bothering to hold back. "They're all really cute, actually."

 _"Wait, wait, wait-did someone break in!? Are you alright!? Oh my god, Rhea-is that why you were a zombie yesterday!? Did the person hurt you at all!?"_

"What; no! I'm fine! Stressed out, maybe, but fine. And I don't think anyone broke in... if they did, then they were total ninjas. Nothing's missing." I think. Everything's still in place like it was the previous day... "Hey, you don't mind if I move to my bed, do you? I kinda wanna lean against my pillows."

 _"Why are you asking me? It's your room."_

"I know, but you're the one who'd have to deal with the spinning and stuff and-"

 _"Rhea."_ He said, cutting me off with a stare. _"Just move."_

"Okay." I didn't waste time and awkwardly got up, pushing my chair in and unplugging my laptop. I picked it up and moved to my bed, setting it down on the bed as I sat cross-legged against my pillows which I had pressed against the wall. "Sorry."

 _"I can't believe you're apologizing."_

"Sorry!"

 _"Stop it; you've been doing that since we were little. There's nothing to apologize for."_

"S-" I cut myself off, made a conflicted face, and then sighed. "Fine..." I feel awful if I don't apologize though."So..." I brought up awkwardly, hoping to change the subject, "How are you and Diana?"

He stiffened, surprised, and his face quickly grew pink. _"O-Oh... uh... you know. G-Good... Normal. I... Oh, hey-is that one of the rabbits!?"_ His distraction worked and I quickly looked around me, confused.

"What, where?" Right there, hopping into my lap, was the albino bunny. "Oh, yeah. That's Peter."

 _"You... actually named him? You're gonna keep them all!?"_

Peter's red eyes stared at the screen, looking almost mystified by the fact that I was talking to Jason through a computer screen. I gave Jason an upset look, not understanding why he was freaking out like he was. It wasn't like he was the one who had to raise them. "Well... yeah. At least... until their original owner comes to pick them back up." I stared down at the albino bunny, before hesitantly reaching a hand over to pet him. For a second I thought he was going to run away like Momo, but he accepted my show of affection and let me pet him. I relaxed. "I mean, if they left them here... they'll come back after a few days, right?"

 _"I don't know... You live out in the middle of nowhere, Rhea."_

"So? I also live on what used to be a farm, so I can start growing carrots and stuff for the rabbits." Not like I know the first thing about gardening or anything though...

 _"You don't even know how to garden,"_ He deadpanned. I scowled, making a face, and retorted,

"I can read about it! You know I always research stuff if I don't know anything!"

 _"Yeah, yeah-holy shit, I just realized."_

I blinked, dumbfounded. "What?"

 _"That rabbit's albino."_

I nodded, acting as if he was stupid. "Yeah."

 _"Shut up! Wait-oh my god, you have a silver rabbit. Wait, no-grey?"_

"Silver," I corrected, turning my head when I felt the bed shift, Pretty Boy having jumped up onto the bed and hopped until he was next to me. He stared with his blue eyes at the white rabbit in my lap and then up at me, one ear pointed at me and the other at my laptop where Jason was talking. He then laid down beside my leg. "This one's named Pretty Boy." I grinned and gently stroked his back with my fingers. He seemed to like it. "Isn't he beautiful?"

 _"Looks kinda weird to me. Is he a mutant?"_ What?

"No!" I glared at Jason in disbelief the second he asked, feeling oddly protective of the silver rabbit who had stiffened the moment Jason said that. "Did you forget to get your eyes checked; I named him Pretty Boy for a reason! He's gorgeous!" I picked Pretty Boy up and held him against my chest, scowling at the man on the screen before smiling down at the rabbit. His brilliant blue eyes looked confused, and at the same time hurt. I didn't like that look. "He's crazy. Jason's just mad because he can't get a girlfriend and he's taking it out on you 'cause you are a _hundred_ times more beautiful than he'll ever be. Okay? Don't listen to him. He's stupid."

 _"Hey! I take offense to that!"_

"Shut up; you hurt Pretty Boy's feelings!"

 _"He's a RABBIT. He doesn't have feelings!"_

"Yes he does! Every living thing has feelings!"

 _"Oh my god, Rhea; this is ridiculous. He doesn't UNDERSTAND you."_

"How do you know that!? He seemed pretty hurt when you insulted him! I'm fairly certain he understands everything I'm saying! He could be one of the genius animals or something!"

 _"Don't be stupid-"_

"I AM stupid, Jason! I can't be something I'm not. But I know I'm at least right on this!" During our argument I ended up putting the stunned silver rabbit back on the bed, the albino rabbit jumping out of my lap and heading over to Pretty Boy and pressing his muzzle gently against his neck. He was either trying to comfort him, or hide from all the noise. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes from frustration and I knew if this argument kept up I was going to break down into tears before it could end. I hated yelling and I hated being yelled at, but I was not going to take this without saying something. I don't even know why Jason was saying this; he was being ludicrous. He was probably joking, but... I really didn't like it. "So quit being so mean to him!"

 _"Mean? What has gotten into you!? He's just an animal!"_

"So? He still has feelings and emotion and a soul-" I felt like a little child, arguing that their imaginary friend was real, but something inside me snapped. Something in me made me want to protect that small, beautiful creature. Jason looked really angry the more I continued and before I could even think of finishing my sentence he cut me off.

 _"Okay, that's it,"_ He said. _"I_ _'m done."_ Without another word he canceled the call and I could only sit there in silence as everything registered. Did... Did that really just happen? Did I... Did I really just get into a fight with my best friend?

"Oh god..." I choked, voice cracking. _What have I done?_ I wanted to call, to apologize for getting so angry for such a stupid reason but... a part of me said that he'd rather be alone. I wanted to call, but I was scared to. I didn't want to make things worse... if they could even get worse. "No, no, no..." I pressed my back against the wall, trying desperately to hold back the tears. "No..." I screwed up. I screwed up so bad. It's all my fault. Jason definitely hates me now. Why else would he have hung up like that? I was stupid and argued and made him mad and-and-

I pulled my knees up to my chest, grabbing my hair as I squeezed my eyes tightly shut. I could feel them burn with the familiar stinging of tears, and my heart raced loudly in my chest as I found myself muttering and apologizing in a small voice repeatedly. _He hates me._ My best friend hates me and its all my fault. I shouldn't have gotten so mad, but I couldn't stop myself-the anger just formed and I snapped and I- _I'm so sorry!_ I buried my face in my arms, rocking back-and-forth as I recalled the argument and how everything went wrong. Before long, I found myself recalling memories I had been trying to suppress as well. The whole reason Grandma sent me to live here...

If I had just died in his stead-no, if I wasn't even _driving_ that day then...

I choked on my tears and the hiccups got stuck in my throat, recalling the car that slammed into us as I had driven down the highway. He just wanted to go to the store and-and he... "I-I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry!"

Between all the stress and frustration I was feeling for so long the guilt and pain just piled up onto my grief and overwhelmed me, pushing against the dam around my heart and breaking the wall. Ever since his funeral I had been locking it inside, trying my hardest to keep it all in, but all the emotions had finally bubbled up and exploded. So I cried uncontrollably, unable to stop, and kept going even as I felt the two rabbits press themselves to my side.

"I-It's all my fault!" I wasn't sure how long I cried-maybe an hour, maybe two-but when I was done and had calmed down I just sat there, staring into nothing as the gaping hole in my chest grew. I could only ponder why I was the one who was alive. Why _I_ wasn't the one who died.

But I knew I would never have that answer. How could I?

I'm not sure how long I sat there, moping in my depression and guilt, before I finally blinked and zoned back into the real world where time was still turning. I was fully aware now of the two sets of eyes that were staring at me-confused, surprised, worried, relieved... They had a mixture of emotions. And it was because of those rabbits that I bothered reaching a hand over and petting them. My eyes hurt badly and I knew they were swollen, but I still cast a look at the clock to view the time.

It was night now... I needed to feed the animals.


	2. Making Them At Home

The next morning was exhausting. The two rabbits had slept with me in the bed again and it was only because I saw the fluffy silver fur in front of my face that I bothered to get up all. I would have stayed in bed all day after what happened last time, my chest aching and feeling like someone had taken a knife to it, but the knowledge that I needed to feed these poor animals and go back to the store to return the pet food and buy food that the cats will actually _eat_ made me get up out of bed today.

"Come on, honey buns... get up." I lightly nudged the two rabbits curled up beside me, waking them up. Their eyes opened groggily and the albino rabbit looked around in confusion before settling his gaze on me. The silver rabbit did the same, though he quickly checked over the the white rabbit to make sure he was alright. His gaze then fixed on me. "Yeah, I called you both "honey buns". Bite me." I yawned and my shoulders slumped, worn and tired. I was fully aware that I was a mess and that my eyes were probably still a little red or swollen from all the crying I had done, but I knew I needed to feed them otherwise they'd starve. I got up out of bed and looked at the two, raising an eyebrow. "Do you want me to carry you again or would you rather hop?"

The look Peter gave me almost made think he was going to hop, but then I was almost sent toppling over when he jumped at me-clinging onto my shoulder and kicking at my chest until he was actually able to sit on it. I made to help, but by the time I had gotten my balance back he was already on my shoulder.

"Alrighty then... that works." I blinked, shaking my head with raised eyebrows, before looking at Pretty Boy. His intelligent blue eyes met mine. I held my arms out, almost as if I was expecting a hug. "You wanna be carried, too?" I didn't move my gaze, something which seemed to unnerve him a little, but after a few moments his ear flicked and he nodded. "Okay. Up we go!" I picked him up and held him against my chest. I yawned again. "God, I'm so tired..." I lazily started to make my way out of the room, but I had to pause when I passed my desk because I saw something in my chair. "Sirius?"

The black cat's tail twitched when I spoke and I called out to him again. He lifted his head, eyes opening, and fixated his gaze on me before staring at the pair of rabbits I was carrying. He looked displeased. I wondered why. Did he want to be carried as well? But... Pretty Boy is too big. He'll fall off my shoulder.

"Sorry, Sirius. Unless you wanna sit on my head or something, I can't carry you, too."

His eyes then twinkled. I gained a bad feeling.

* * *

It's safe to say I was about ready to topple over from all the weight I was carrying by the time I got to the kitchen. Momo and Kyo looked more than a little alarmed to see me carrying not only the rabbits, but the muscular mass of a cat that was on top of my head and currently hurting my neck. His tail kept brushing against it and it took everything I had not to burst out into laughter or cringe. Funnily enough, the rabbits looked none to pleased at their new travel partner. Maybe the three animals just didn't get along? I didn't want to sound racist about it, but is it simply because they're rabbits and Sirius is a cat? He didn't look happy at me holding them either... I assumed it was because he wanted to be carried, too. I didn't seem to be wrong, but... I don't know.

I set Pretty Boy down on the ground carefully, but at the same time I did that Sirius jumped off my head and hit Pretty Boy in his. Without thinking about I reached over and whacked Sirius upside the head lightly, causing him to let out a startle meow, and I scolded, "Don't be mean to Pretty Boy! Or anyone else! Or no more being carried for you!" _As if that was a good threat._ But it seemed to work as his ears folded back and he looked a little guilty. I tried not to feel bad for scolding him, but... it was hard. I did my best to hold back the apology though.

I then turned to Pretty Boy, who now had Peter checking to make sure he was alright. I was still on my knees, so I carefully reached a hand out to the side of his face and looked at him, making sure there were no cuts in case Sirius had gotten him with his claws. Pretty Boy turned his attention away from Peter to me, and watched as I let out a sigh of relief.

"You're okay... Phew. Thought he got you with his claws for a second." I gave a weak laugh, but it hurt. The very thought of him being injured made my chest tighten, as I didn't even want to think about such a gentle animal being injured and how it would feel to be so. Wiping my mind of the thought I stood, clapping my hands together now that I had all five animals attention. "Okay, breakfast! Let's do this!" I got out some more cabbage for all the rabbits, even breaking off a bit of a carrot, and then opened another can of tuna for the cats. They all ate hungrily, and as they did so I made my way back to the bedroom so I could get changed into real clothes.

 _I don't feel like doing laundry today..._ I'm glad that I don't have to work, as that meant that I could avoid Jason for a little longer, but I needed to go to the store. I should get a good twenty dollars back after returning all the cat food, so I _should_ be able to get a good amount of food for the cats until Wednesday. Of course, there are my water and electricity bills to worry about... but they're usually not that expensive so I should be fine.

Keyword there being "should", which I'm using a lot. Ugh... I just want to sleep. I seriously don't want to do anything.

Entering my room I rummaged through my closet, not bothering to put a shirt on and instead just throwing on a hoodie in its place, and pulled on a pair of baggy jeans. The paint-stained clothes on the ground glared at me, telling me that I needed to clean them, but I really just didn't care. I didn't care much about anything at the moment; I just wanted life to be done and over with. _I'm just so tired..._ I sighed and leaned against the wall for a moment, before remembering, _Oh yeah... I need to take pictures..._ I know I have an old Polaroid camera around here somewhere...

I spent the next ten minutes rummaging around my closet in an attempt to find it. It turned out I had it buried in a box full of old notebooks and drawings. _Oops._

A thump snapped me out of my thoughts and caused me to turn my head. To my surprise it was the spotted rabbit, and he was staring at the camera quite curiously. An impish grin crossed my face and he took a step back, only to blink at a sudden flash as I snapped a photo. After a few moments the image printed out of the camera, there still being film in it, and I took it out and waved it a few times as I waited for the picture to pop up. Once it did and I deemed it good, I showed it to Momo who stared at it with wide eyes. "Cool, huh?" I asked him.

Momo just stared at me.

"Wanna take another one?" He just blinked at me, and taking it as permission I snapped another photo. His ears were stuck up high again and it was the cutest thing, and once again I showed him the photo after the picture cleared up. "Come on-I need to take one of the other animals. Wanna sit on my shoulder as I do it? You'll get a better view of it that way."

He hesitated before hopping forward, quickly jumping up onto my shoulder. I grinned and was about to pet him when I remembered that he didn't like me doing that. So instead I stood and made my way to the livingroom where the cats were running around the room and the rabbits remained on the couch, lounging. Without wasting time I walked over and knelt down in front of the rabbits, who stared at me, and I said, "Say, "Spaghetti"!"

 _Click._

Pretty Boy blinked a few times after I took the picture (I remembering to turn the flash off after the first picture with Momo) and I took out the photo and shook it, showing him. He, too, looked surprised and even Peter started to pay attention when he saw that his friend, brother, whatever he was to him- and himself was on a picture. I took another one, wanting to keep one of each for myself, and then I went over to the cats who stopped playing with each other when I neared them. I took two pictures of them, showing each, and marveled at their awed and shocked faces.

Then, after they were done with their shock, the animals looked at Momo who was sitting on my shoulder. I noticed he had jumped onto my right, whereas Peter had always climbed on my left. I guess even they had their preferences. After I was done and started to head back to the bedroom to put the pictures and camera away for later Momo jumped off and ran away to who-knows-where. I put shoes on and grabbed my keys out of my jacket that was hanging on the front door in the living room. I opened the door and had turned my head as I made to close it, walking out of the house, when I saw all the animals staring at me in confusion.

"I'll be back!" I told them, slightly disbelieving at the way that had just looked when I opened the door to leave. "I need-Oh, crap; I need to get the cat food!" I closed the door, dashing to the kitchen to grab the cat food that I was going to be returning. "I kinda need that if I want to buy you guys real food!" I lugged the bags to the front door and opened it again, "See you later!" I then closed the door, throwing the bags in the basket of my bike.

* * *

"She sure is forgetful, isn't she?" The orange cat commented as he watched their "owner" dash out the door after almost forgetting the bag of cat food she was going to be returning. "Haha-Silly girl!"

"You aren't one to talk, Kyo," Black cat commented as he turned to look at the orange cat. "You forgot what her name is!"

"So did you!"

"It's not my fault I never learned it!"

Peter, wanting nothing more than the two loud cats to stop bickering and shut up, muttered, "Rhea..."

"What!?" Sirius turned his head, confused. "What'd you say?"

"Her name..." He said quietly, Pretty Boy turning to look at him from his spot beside him, "It's Rhea..."

"Rhea?" The white rabbit nodded at the black cat's question. "She doesn't look like a "Rhea" to me."

Kyo snickered and looked at Sirius, saying, "And you would know that how...?"

"Shut up!"

"...Eddie... the cats won't stop arguing..."

"Just ignore them, Young Master." The silver rabbit replied, closing his eyes as he turned his head away from the cats who were fighting. "It's best that you don't listen to them." The albino rabbit merely nodded slowly in response and laid back down, closing his eyes as he folded his ears over his head. The silver rabbit remained standing, instead staring out the window as he watched the young woman drive down the lane to the road. He wondered how long she'd be gone this time and if she'd eat anything at all today. All she had was a simple slice of bread yesterday and nothing else. He wondered if she was always this careless towards her health. He also wondered why she keeps defending him.

When that man called him weird... asking if he was a mutant... she defended him. She called him "beautiful"...

Perhaps if she were to see him in his true form she would not think so, but as a warmth blossomed in his chest a familiar ache tugged at his heart, reminding him of events that had long since passed. Events that he caused... and maybe he was even the reason she and that man had fought? The man had insulted him and she went to his defense, thus causing them to get into an argument. It was because of him the two fought... and it was because of him that she had so suddenly started to cry and apologize.

But while the situation made it seemed like she was simply apologizing to the man inside that screen, he had a feeling it was for something much deeper. He was curious, and maybe just a little bit concerned, but it was none of his business. The only thing that mattered was the Young Master...

"...Eddie?" As if he had sensed his thoughts the white rabbit called out to him, snapping him out of his thoughts and catching his attention.

"Yes, Young Master?" His face remained blank.

"Lay next to me. ...It's cold."

"Of course, Young Master." The silver rabbit followed without protest, making his way over and leaning against the small bunny who pressed himself against his side. "How are you feeling? Are you adapting well to the new environment?"

"...It's fine... I want to eat apples though." He seemed a little bothered by the fact that he couldn't have his favorite fruit, but didn't appear angry. The woman didn't even seem to know what kind of food animals were allowed to eat, so he understood her concern. She also mentioned that she'd ask about it to some people... he couldn't remember their names. But he knew that by her saying that she might give them apples soon. "Do you think she's okay?"

"What do you mean?" Sirius, who had been arguing with Kyo, managed to hear his question that was actually directed at the silver rabbit. The baby rabbit opened his eyes, gazing distastefully at the black cat, before sighing softly and closing his eyes again.

His voice was just barely audible to the rest of the animals in the room, whereas the silver rabbit could hear him perfectly. "That girl... she has a deep sorrow hidden in her."

"You noticed that, too?" Sirius said in surprise. "I thought there was somethin' up. What with her moping about and everything..."

"Who _cares_!?" Momo growled, hopping away from the corner he was hiding in. "She's an idiot! She doesn't even know what to _feed_ rabbits; why does it matter?"

Kyo gave Momo a look, saying, "Because she's the _target_ , bunny! With you claiming to be so _smart_ all the time, one would think you would have realized that!"

"Why you little-"

"Why are we even arguing about it?" Sirius appeared confused. "What I wanna know is why he chose her as a target; she seems pretty normal."

"If you consider passing out on the floor normal," The spotted rabbit scoffed. "She's clearly a recluse-have you bothered looking out the windows? We're in the middle of nowhere!"

Pretty Boy seemed to have gotten fed up with Momo's complaining and said calmly as he fixed him with dull eyes, "That's completely arbitrary. If she was a recluse she would not be gone for so long each day."

"It hasn't even been a week! It's only been three days!"

"But, bunny, haven't you been listening? The girl has a job! She probably just works during the week days rather than the weekends." Kyo couldn't help but add in his three cents. "And she _is_ gone for a long time-she probably stops somewhere on the way to the market."

" _Or_ ," Momo began irritably, "She lives so far away that it takes forever for her to get there and back!" The albino rabbit folded his ears over, annoyed at all the noise.

"Eddie..." He murmured, "They're being too loud." The silver rabbit simply sighed in response, as there was really nothing he could do about the other animals' actions. As the other animals kept arguing the white rabbit pushed himself up and hopped off the couch, the big rabbit following loyally as he headed toward the bedroom where they always slept.

* * *

I wasn't entirely sure how long I was gone, but I do know that by the time I got done shopping it was freezing out and I seriously regretted not wearing a shirt underneath my hoodie. The weather just reminded me more of how it was winter and that it was going to be hard biking everywhere. I would have to wake up early and start walking if I wanted to make it to work. Of course, that meant I would have to stop helping at the mural paintings just so I would be able to make it to everything else. It upset me, but I knew it was for the best. At least it was volunteer work and not an actual job...

As I had an extra five dollars left after getting what I needed for the cats I stopped at McDonald's to buy me a sandwich, and I wasted no time in devouring it hungrily. I then biked it as fast as I could home. On my way I saw some shady looking people in the alley I usually cut through, so I took the longer way home. I think I was gone for a total of three, maybe four hours. I lived pretty far away, regardless of the route I took.

When I arrived I parked my bike at its usual spot by the porch and took the grocery bags out, hanging them on my left arm, and entered the house. I quickly locked the door, shoving the keys back into the jacket that was hanging off the doorknob, and kicked off my shoes. I was about to step forward, but before I could my feet were suddenly tackled by a pair of cats. "Wh-Whoa!" I yelped as I nearly tripped and fell over. "I-I missed you, too, guys!" I hopped on one foot, desperately trying to get out of the way so I didn't accidentally crush them, and once there was room I set my other foot back down and heaved a sigh of relief. "Jeez... At least let me get to the kitchen so I can put everything away first." Needy felines. They were cute though, so I forgive them.

The cats followed a good distance behind me after that and I walked into the kitchen, goosebumps spreading along my skin at the warmth that hit me. I shivered at the temperature change, but was more than relieved that it wasn't freezing anymore. I put the bags down on the kitchen counter and quickly started to put everything away-only to keep out a single apple and some broccoli.

I handed the cats a few more pieces of ham, which they greedily devoured, and after washing the apple in the sink I got to peeling it-something I almost cut myself doing as I've never done it before. I had asked a few random people in the store if rabbits could eat apples and few other fruit and vegetable-type foods, and one of them had suggested broccoli. _Apples are treats..._ and if they don't like that, then I'll see if they want the broccoli. The rabbits were plenty well-behaved and were pretty sweet the few days I've known them, so... I wanted to do something nice. Which is weird, I think, since they _are_ animals, but... oh well! They deserve it.

I flinched when I almost sliced my palm with the peeler, but after a good two minutes I managed to finish it. It... looked a little weird, but I got all the skin off so it should be alright! Now I just have to cut it...

I pulled out a small paper plate out of a cabinet and placed the apple on it, cutting it and flinching every time I heard a _clack_ or a scraping sound. Seeing as they were rabbits I cut the slices into bite-sized bits, which was actually pretty adorable in my opinion, and I put the broccoli next to it on the plate after I threw the apple peel and core away. The cats, being satisfied with their meal, went to romp around and I made my way out of the kitchen.

I looked around the livingroom expecting to find the two rabbits on the couch, but to my surprise they weren't they were. I frowned, knitting my eyebrows together as I started to feel a small sense of panic. _Where are they?_ The only places they'd have access to is the bathroom, kitchen, livingroom, and- _oh._ Of course. Duh. I spun on my heels, careful not to drop anything, and made my way to the bedroom.

And there they were, sleeping so peacefully on my bed against the pillows.

 _Holy crap, they're adorable._

I carefully made my way over, doing my best to stay quiet, but a few steps in the silver rabbit's ears twitched. His eyes opened groggily, blinking a few times as his vision cleared, and then they focused on me. His eyes soon zoomed in onto the plate in my hands. I watched as Pretty Boy turned his head to nudge the rabbit beside him gently with his muzzle, waking him. Slowly, Peter lifted his head and opened his eyes. His white ears perked up and I carefully sat down on the bed, scooting so I was near them, and crossed my legs and set the plate in my lap.

I picked up an apple bite and held it out to them, smiling, and asked, "You guys want some? I, uh, asked around the store to see if it was okay and... they said it'd make good treats. I... I didn't know what all you guys like, so... I kinda bought a few other veggies. I also bought a lot of broccoli, so... if you didn't like the apples I figured you might like that instead. I dunno." I shrugged, feeling incredibly awkward, but I had a feeling they knew exactly what I was saying. "I... I never had pets before, so... I'm kinda new at this. Thought you guys deserved somethin' nice though, after being so well-behaved and all."

They both just stared at me, but after a few moments the white rabbit moved over and bit the apple slice out of my hand. I went to hand one to the silver rabbit, but I noticed his gaze was fixated on something else. I blinked in surprise, having expected them both to prefer the apple, but then a small smile formed on my face. I picked up a piece of broccoli and handed it to the silver rabbit, who sniffed it before biting it out of my fingers. There were probably going to be crumbs on my bed, but that's okay. I didn't really care. The sheets can just be washed later when I'm in the mood.

Eventually I just set the plate down on the bed itself, letting the rabbits feast to their hearts content. I watched in amusement. They were so cute.

"Thanks for keeping the house in check, you guys." I told them and quickly added, "And for... well, staying with me last night, I guess." I felt a little ridiculous saying this, _and_ incredibly stupid and awkward, but... I appreciated it. I really, truly did. I knew that all the yelling last night freaked them out and my little "attack" probably didn't help either, but they still chose to remain by me when they could have slept somewhere else. Instead they remained in the bed by my side, keeping me company throughout the night. Honestly, they probably didn't even care and just wanted to sleep on something that they considered comfy and the bed was the best choice, but...

I inhaled deeply, only to let out the breath I just received. It was hard keeping all the emotions back, but...

"I know... I know it probably freaked you out... that _I_ probably freaked you out... what with all the yelling and crying and stuff, but..." The rabbits were silent, both of them staring at me again. I shifted uncomfortably, slightly unnerved by the intelligence the rabbit's eyes gave off and their stares, but I continued as I needed to get this off my chest. I said, forcing myself to meet their stares as I fiddled with my fingers, "I just really needed the company. A-And... and you guys probably don't actually care and all, but... I'm still grateful. Because you gave me that small thing. So..." I blinked a few times, feeling my eyes water, and swallowed. I could feel the emotions start to take control, memories of the fight filling my mind. "Yeah. Thank you. A-And you can consider the-the broccoli and apples as a "thank you" gift, I guess, since I was really only planning on buying the cats' food. So... yeah. That's-That's it, really. I don't know what else to say." My voice cracked a little, but I somehow managed to keep my emotions under control.

As they stared at me, I looked down at the plate which still had half the food still on it. I blinked dumbly. Why did they stop?

"You guys... could have kept eating, you know. Unless you're full. You _do_ have the option to ignore me and whatever nonsense comes out of my mouth; it is a free country after all." At their blank and confused stares I sighed and moved until I was laying on my back with my legs dangling off the edge of my bed. "I give up..." I yawned and closed my eyes. I could hear nibbling and knew at least one of them was eating. "I just want to sleep..."

But I need to do laundry. And figure out how to apologize. And put the plate back in the kitchen once the animals are done. It really wasn't that much, but to me it felt like someone had just asked me to travel to the other side of the planet. I just really didn't want to do anything; I didn't have the _strength_ to do anything. It was as if was all sapped away. If it wasn't for the animals I probably would have never gotten out of bed today.

"And I work all week..." More fun. But hey, since I got the animals their food maybe I can get me a little something for once. It will probably just be some more fast food, but it's better than nothing. "Though paycheck's Wednesday, so that's good... even if it's not that much. I think I can pay the water bill, at least. It usually isn't that expensive." I looked at the rabbit's who were not far from me. "What do you guys think?" The silver rabbit stopped his nudging of a broccoli towards the white rabbit to stare at me. "Think I'll get enough for the water bill? I think I will. And I should be able to pay the electricity. Unless the house payment went up..." I turned my head away and sighed, staring solemnly up at the ceiling. "House payments around five hundred. Water's usually only around sixty and the electricity is almost always in the eighties. So I _should_ have a good few tens left to spend on animal stuff." I went silent, thinking deeply, and upon consideration said, "I also need to get that weird shampoo stuff for animals so I can give you all baths. Can't have you all stinkin' up the house, can I? I don't know about you guys, but there's a _big_ difference between licking yourself and having an actual bath." I yawned, closing my eyes. "I'll stop at the store tomorrow after work... and get some..."

I could feel myself drifting into sleep. _Wake up, Rhea... you have work to do. You can't rest._ With a groan I forced my tired body into a sitting position and got off the bed, stumbling as I made my way around the bedroom. I had so much stuff to do: I needed to do laundry, and I need to clean all four rooms upstairs, sweep the deck, throw away all the trash that's sure to be up there, and feed the animals. After that's all done I'll need to take a shower, quick it may end up being, and then set my alarm for tomorrow. And somehow, in the middle of doing all of those things, I need to figure out an apology. _What a pain,_ I thought as I picked up a sock that fell from the pile of laundry I was holding.

I could feel the rabbits' eyes on me, but I ignored them and instead made my way to the bathroom. I put in all the darks first, as most of my clothes were black or just of the dark-variety, and separated the whites and the lights. I started the washer not long after and as I turned around to head to the sink to put my hair up I found Sirius sitting by my foot, staring up at the washer in curiosity. _Cute._ I was tempted to kneel down and pet him, but the knowledge that the upstairs wasn't going to clean itself got to me. There was no way I was going to keep the animals trapped down here after all; I don't care how big the kitchen or livingroom is. They needed room to roam and explore, which is why I'm going to be doing this.

I stepped around him, the cat seeming to not even notice me, and I did a quick once-over with the brush and put my hair up in a sloppy bun. My bangs fell into my face as always, but I didn't really care. I rolled my sleeves up and opened the bathroom closet, pulling out the broom and pan and closed the door. I was definitely going to have to come back down to get the vacuum, and later the mop, but for now I just need to get the broom and a couple trashbags.

I had to head to the kitchen to get that later, and when I opened the door in the kitchen that revealed the staircase for upstairs I ended up sneezing as I was greeted with nothing but dust. And spiderwebs. And- " _GYAAAAAH!"_ I let out a bloodcurdling scream and stumbled backwards, throwing the broom and trashbags forward as I waved my arm frantically. Unfortunately I ended up slipping on a-what? An orange peel? But I don't even have oranges! But point being was that I slipped and crashed painfully on my back on the ground, hitting my head.

The animals, having heard my scream, ran in only to see me laying on the ground dazed with an orange peel crushed on the floor and a spider running along the ground. Sirius, somehow, put two-and-two together and lunged, crushing the spider with his paws. As I tried to regain my bearings, seriously shaken by what had happened, I could feel a muzzle pressing against my side and urging me to sit up. It was the silver rabbit. I simply groaned in response and sat up, rubbing my head. I then jerked, shooting up in a sitting position as I frantically clawed at my arms in fright. "Wh-Where'd it go!? Oh god, is it in my clothes!? Tell me it's not in my clothes!" I was just about to yank my hoodie off when I felt a tug on my pants leg. I stiffened and looked down, only to see Pretty Boy staring up at me. I couldn't tell what he was feeling at the moment, but I followed his gaze to see the fat spider dead on the ground. Sirius was sitting beside it proudly, chin held high.

My legs almost gave out in relief.

"Oh thank god..." I walked over and knelt down, scratching the cat gently behind the ear, "My hero, Sirius."

"Mrrow!" Weirdly enough, the cat seemed to smile as if he had just won a trophy. "And, aw, did you all come to my rescue?" I looked at the other four animals in the room. "You guys are sweet." I then sighed and stood up, giving the dead spider a disgusted and slightly scared glare. I narrowed my eyes at it. "I know you have friends. I know you're all gonna come after me. But I have a vacuum and a broomstick and I am _not_ afraid to use them, okay? Okay! So-So stay dead! And to make sure you stay dead I'm gonna flush you down the toilet now!" I walked over to the counter dramatically to grab a piece of paper towel and knelt down, making a face as I picked up the dead spider. "Ew, ew, ew, ew; gross!" I held it as far away from as I could, trying to resist the urge to let it go. I quickly made my way to the bathroom and flushed it down the toilet, even washing my hands after I was done. I had goosebumps all over. I was shaking my hands as I made my way back to the kitchen, muttering to myself about how much I hate bugs. "Gross, gross, gross; I don't like it!" I picked my broom up of the floor, only to drop it and jump back at the sight of another spider.

Today was going to be a _long_ day.

After smacking all the attacking spiders with the dust pan I looked at the animals with teary eyes, telling them in a shaky voice, "I-I hope you all love me, because I'm freaking _cleaning_ upstairs for you!" I knew I was being dramatic, but I really didn't care. I _hated_ bugs and the very thought of them crawling up and down my skin or on my clothes made me want to break down into tears. It was stupid, but I had seen one too many horror movies involving bugs when I was little to _not_ be traumatized by them. I picked up the broom, sniffling, and grabbed the abandoned trashbags. Scooping up the dead spiders with the dustpan I poured them into one of the bags, doing my best not to throw up or cry, and went into the war zone.

I was certain the animals thought me crazy, but I didn't really care at this moment in time because I was too busy crushing bugs with a dust pan. After that I sweeped with the broom and ran the vacuum. I did that in all the rooms before going out into the balcony to sweep up all the dead leaves into trashbags. There weren't any carpet floors upstairs, but I still vacuumed just to be certain that I got rid of all the extra crud on the ground.

I ran down stairs, making multiple trips to get the other bags, and dragged the trashbags outside and down to the end of the lane so I could put them in the dumpster. I could feel the animals' all still looking at me. I made my way back to the house slowly, dragging my feet on the gravel road, and slumped over. I felt slightly dizzy. As I made my way up onto the porch I cast a curious glance at the abandoned garden that ran along the side of it and made a face.

I didn't want to have to deal with bugs, but I also didn't want to have to _buy_ vegetables all the time. But I won't even be able to _start_ a garden until after Winter. Ugh...

Entering the house with a lamenting expression I went to the bathroom and opened the closet, pulling out the mop and a bucket. I quickly filled the bucket up with water and poured in some cleaner. I then lugged it upstairs and got to work. Of course, after _that_ was done, I had to go back over them with clean, hot water. It was about ten o'clock now. _I need to feed the animals soon,_ I told myself quietly. I used bleach water on the bathroom floor and quickly got to cleaning up the sink and bathtub, and quickly dusted off all the future that Grandma left behind. It was one in the morning now.

I headed back downstairs, dumping the water in the sink and letting the mop soak in clean bleach, and left the vacuum and everything else upstairs as I was too tired to even think about bringing them down.

Walking over to the kitchen sink I washed my hands up all the way to my elbows, and after drying them off I quickly got the animals their food. They ate greedily and sparing them only a single glance I smiled and made my way to the bedroom to grab clothes and then promptly jumped into the shower.

Then, ignoring all common sense that told me I needed to eat, I dragged my tired feet to bed and collapsed, passing out almost instantly. I nearly forgot to set my alarm.


End file.
